Falling For My Bully Stepbrother

Another Cruel Lesson

Chapter 004.

Lily’s POV.

The moment Henry walked away, Betty and her friends tortured me. I remained where he had left me, staring at the wet floor beneath my shoes. The surrounding laughter seemed to come from everywhere, but I could barely make sense of the words. My uniform clung to my body, soaked with dirty water, and the mop was still in my hand.

I wanted to disappear.

For the past week, I have tried to convince myself that things would eventually become easier. I told myself that the students would get bored, that maybe I would find someone I could call a friend. But standing there with everyone watching me, I realized I had been lying to myself.

“Lily, are you okay?”

Ethan's voice pulled me out of my thoughts. He had a bruise forming near his cheek from the fight, yet he was standing in front of me as though his own pain did not matter.

I looked at him and shook my head. “I am fine.”

The lie sounded weak even to me. Ethan took the mop from my hand and placed it against the wall.

“You do not have to clean this.”

I looked at him. “But Henry told me to.”

Despite everything, a small smile escaped me.

It was the first genuine one I had managed all day.

Ethan smiled back before helping me wipe the water from my uniform with some tissues someone had given him. He did not ask unnecessary questions, and he did not laugh at me. He simply stayed.

That kindness meant more to me than he probably realized.

By the time I got home, I was already planning how to avoid my mother. I slipped through the house quietly, hurried upstairs, and locked my bedroom door behind me. My uniform went straight into the sink, and I washed it myself before she could see the stains.

I scrubbed until the water stopped looking dirty.

When I finished, I hung the uniform where it could dry overnight and changed into my pajamas. I stood in front of the mirror for a while, looking at myself through my glasses.

I barely recognized the girl staring back.

I had spent the whole day trying not to cry.

I almost succeeded.

That night, I did not go downstairs for dinner. When my mother knocked and asked if I was coming, I told her I was studying.

“Okay. Do not stay up too late.”

That was all she said.

I waited until her footsteps disappeared before sitting on my bed.

For some reason, her not asking questions made me miss my father even more. If it had been him, he would have known something was wrong.

He would have come into my room anyway, sat beside me, and asked what happened until I finally told him. If I refused to talk, he probably would have brought me a glass of milk and stayed until I felt better.

I pulled my blanket around myself.

I missed him.

I missed his small restaurant, the smell of food in the kitchen, and the way he always made room for me even when he was busy.

I wished I could go back.

The next morning, I woke before my alarm and sat on the edge of the bed, reaching for my glasses. I adjusted them on my face before getting dressed for school.

I chose the neatest uniform I had.

Then I went downstairs.

My mother and Mr. Guilford were already eating breakfast. Henry sat across from me, quietly eating as though I did not exist.

I lowered myself into the empty chair.

“You guys should go to school together today,” Mr. Guilford said.

I looked up. “I can...”

A sharp pinch landed beneath the table.

I stopped. My mother gave me a warning look; I swallowed the rest of my words.

“That would be fine.”

“Good,” Mr. Guilford said.

I forced a smile. “Thank you.”

He scoffed lightly. “You can call me Dad, Lily.”

The table suddenly felt too quiet.

I looked at my mother.

Another pinch.

“Thank you, Dad.”

Henry rolled his eyes, then his chopsticks hit the table.

He picked up his school bag and stood. “I am done.”

He walked away before anyone could say anything.

I looked down at my plate.

I had not eaten dinner the night before, and breakfast was the first real food I had seen since yesterday afternoon. I tried to eat, but my appetite was still somewhere far away.

Before I could finish, Henry was already gone.

I noticed a plate of cookies near the center of the table and quietly took two, slipping them into my school bag for later.

Mr. Guilford noticed. “Why are you putting those in your bag?”

I froze. “I thought I could eat them at school.”

He looked at the maid. “Help her pack some food.”

The maid immediately brought a small lunch box and filled it.

“Thank you.... Thank you, Dad,” I whispered.

I grabbed it and hurried outside.

Henry was already sitting inside the car. I got in and sat as far away from him as possible.

The drive began in silence.

I stared through the window, watching houses and shops pass by. Every few minutes, I glanced at Henry, but he never looked at me.

I kept thinking about yesterday. The cake, water and Ethan. And the strange way Henry had looked at me before walking away.

Halfway to school, I finally gathered enough courage to speak. “Henry.”

He did not answer.

“I am sorry about yesterday.”

He turned his head slowly. “Stop the car.”

The driver glanced at him through the mirror.

“Sir?”

“Stop the car.”

The vehicle pulled over. Henry pointed at the door. “Get out.”

I stared at him. “But we are not yet at school.”

“I said get out.”

I looked toward the driver, hoping he would say something, but he kept his eyes forward.

I picked up my lunch box and stepped out.

The door shut behind me and the car drove away. I stood beside the road, watching it disappear. I could not believe he had actually left me there.

I hugged my lunch box against myself and started walking toward school, hoping I would not be late.

A few minutes later, a car slowed beside me.

The window came down. “Are you going to Krystal High?”

I stepped back slightly.

The girl inside wore the same school uniform.

“Yes.”

“Get in. I am going there too.”

I hesitated before opening the door. And when I finally settled in, she smiled and introduced herself.

“My name is Chloe,” she said.

“I'm Lily.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“You too.”

She smiled. “It is my first day, so I am already nervous. ”

I laughed softly. I have been there for a week and still get nervous sometimes.”

Chloe laughed.

That was a lie. I felt nervous almost every day at school. Whenever I remembered I was the target, I couldn't help my anxiety.

By the time we reached school, I already felt a little lighter.

We headed toward the assembly ground together, where the principal announced that the school's annual sports activities were approaching and practice would begin immediately after the first period.

When we entered class, our teacher, Ms. Smith, stood beside Chloe.

“Class, we have a new student today. Her name is Chloe.”

Nobody welcomed her except my smile. They were busy with their phones, and Henry was busy sleeping.

I wondered if he slept very well the previous night.

Ms. Smith looked around the classroom before pointing toward the empty seat beside me.

“You can sit beside Lily.”

Chloe smiled when she reached my desk. “Looks like I found my guide.”

I smiled back. “I will try my best.”

For the first time since coming to Krystal High, I was happy to have someone sitting beside me.

But even while Chloe talked about her old school, my mind kept drifting back to Henry.

I remembered the way he had looked at me when I apologized.

I remembered how quickly he had told the driver to stop. I hated that his actions affected me so much. After the first period, I went to my locker with Chloe. I stopped when I saw that her locker was directly beside mine.

"I guess we are entangled with each other", she said.

I smiled and opened mine. However, my smile disappeared. My sports uniform was missing.

I checked the locker again; nothing. I searched through my bag; still nothing. My mind immediately returned to the announcement; practice was starting after the first period.

“Chloe, I think I lost my sports dress.”

She looked concerned. Maybe you left it in class?”

“I do not think so.”

I checked the locker one more time.

Then a voice came from behind me. “Are you looking for this?”

I stopped. I knew that voice, so I turned around slowly.

Henry stood a few steps away, holding a mop stick in one hand. Something hung from the end of it.

It's my sports uniform. It was drenched in mud.

I stared at it, then back at him before letting out a scream.

“Henry!!”